vintage embroidery pattern ID - Simplicity and Superior

Simplicity
Yup, the embroidery pattern envelopes look like their sewing pattern envelopes. Again, I don't think they still produce embroidery transfer patterns. 
I have 2 different transfer sets.

1945 pattern set - light blue solid lines on brown tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

Whoever cut and used the designs in this envelope cut the words off the sheet, but bothered to keep them in the envelope.

1960s (?) pattern set - dark blue solid line on brown tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

and instructions on transfer sheet:

Superior
No longer in business.

1930s or '40s (?) - blue/green solid lines on brown craft paper. (the paper in mine is quite brittle)
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

Next time: the queen of vintage embroidery patterns, Vogart!

vintage embroidery pattern IDs - McCall's and Monarch

McCall's
McCall's patterns come in envelopes that look like their regular sewing ones. The envelopes specify whether the transfers are yellow or blue. 
I don't think they do embroidery patterns any more.
I have 4 different pattern envelopes.

1920s or '30s pattern set - dark blue solid line on brown tissue paper.  
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

Hmm, I don't think I'll continue to do a sample design because, if I'm using this to identify unmarked transfers, knowing what the design looks like all cleaned up doesn't help.

1944 pattern set - yellow solid line on brown tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

1952 pattern set - dark blue solid line on brown tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

1980s (?) pattern set - yellow solid line on white tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

aaaand a bonus transfer that has no envelope!

I googled - it's from a 1957 little girls' nightgown, pajamas and shortie pattern. The phrase "early to bed early to rise" is meant to be embroidered around the yoke of the outfit. Cute!


Monarch
Not much info out there. I just have 1 pattern set. It has a separate piece of paper with instructions and colour suggestions for each towel. They are kind enough to not only put their name on the transfer sheet, but to put M in the pattern number.

1950s (?) - black dotted lines on brown tissue paper
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

According to the back of the envelope, Silver-Tex means that the transfers "will automatically give a white impression on black material and a black impression on white or light-colored materials."

Since the company seems to be out of business, I made these transfers available on my Flickr.

Next time: Simplicity and Superior.

vintage embroidery pattern ID - Butterick and Laura Wheeler

Butterick
Their patterns come in envelopes that look like their regular sewing ones. A search of the Butterick website found no embroidery patterns.
I have patterns from 2 different dates.

1923 pattern set - dark blue solid line on brown tissue paper. 
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

Sample design:

This is from the kitchen set but I haven't the faintest idea what it's supposed to be! It looks like a safety razor and a shaving brush?

Early to mid- '70's pattern set - yellow solid line on white tissue paper. 
Envelope:

Text on transfer sheet:

Sample design:

Cleaned up, but working with bright yellow is not fun.

Laura Wheeler
The pattern I have is in a thin, white mailing envelope from Free Press Prairie Farmer Needlecraft Dept. I believe Laura Wheeler patterns were all mail order from newspapers. 

1941 pattern set - dark green solid line on beige paper. 
Envelope:

What an address - Wendigo Mines!

Text on transfer sheet:

Instruction sheet ID:

There were 2 patterns stuffed in the envelope - a peacock one (#2602, referenced on the mailing label) and one with 2 cats and a vase of flowers (#2721). I didn't know transfers came that large!

Next time - McCall's!

charts are fun! (Artex and Aunt Martha's)

* So, picking up from my last blog post, I bought a large bag of cut-up and unmarked vintage embroidery transfers at the rummage sale. I've been sorting them ever since - piles to keep and piles to sell. I've also been trying to identify the patterns, or at least the company that made them. The companies rarely have their name on the transfer sheet, though, so it's difficult.

There's info and images out there about vintage patterns in general, Vogart pattern envelopes, and currently available Aunt Martha's patterns. Search Flickr, search eBay, search etsy to get photos of envelopes and sometimes the transfer sheets inside. What I wanted was more like a reference - if your transfer says this and is this colour, it's from this company. But I can barely find info on the out of business companies, let alone lists of their patterns or identifying marks on them.

Therefore! My addled out-o'-work mind decided that I should step up to the plate and create my own resource! And share with the wooooooorld!

:dum dum duuuuuum: 

Artex
Liquid embroidery company from the '70s. They sold fabric with the patterns already printed on (like paint-by-numbers) but also sold iron on transfers.
The designs are in solid red ink on large sheets of brown craft paper. There's more than one sheet of paper in the envelope.

Envelope:

 

Text on the transfer sheet:

Sample design:

Aunt Martha's
Still in business (as Colonial Patterns) and selling transfers. They re-release vintage patterns.
The designs are in solid red ink on one large sheet of brown craft paper. 

Envelope:

Text on the transfer sheet:
several different but similar versions.

Block of instructions and reprint of the illustration from the envelope.

Block of instructions with no illustration.

Pattern number on transfer sheet.

Sample design:

And that's the letter A! Overall I plan on covering Butterick, McCall's, Monarch, Simplicity, Superior, Vogart and Walker's hot iron transfers, plus a few mystery patterns. If you have any hints/info/suggestions, let me know!

* All samples are taken from my own collection. Transfer patterns have been cleaned up and background changed to white using Photoshop. As my collection grows, and I find more info, I will keep this page updated.*